This weeks topic is....
THE HOSPITAL STAY
Baby Pearson's due date is getting closer and closer. 19 days to be exact!! I'm not going to lie, I'm starting to get a little anxious about the labor and delivery. I have really tried not to think about it throughout the pregnancy because there is no sense stressing out over it, because it's going to happen. But now that it's almost here, it's all I can think {and dream} about. I have my hospital bag, Matt's bag, and Pearson's diaper bag just about packed. The only thing left to pack are things that we use day to day and we'll just have to pack as we are walking out the door. I have quite a few questions this week for all you Mommies this week so here goes.....
Basically if you have any advice for the hospital stay, I would love it!!
Did you allow vistors during your labor? If so, before and after the epidural?
How did you ask people to leave if you had vistors but just needed some rest?
Did you call family the moment you went into labor (if you weren't induced)?
When did you have family come?
Did they stick around the whole time?
Did you have anyone else (other than your husband) in the room when you were pushing?
I want pictures of the baby right after he's born and would love a picture of Matt cutting the umbilical cord, but I don't know how I feel about having anybody else in the room. If you had someone taking pictures, who was it?
Did you have anyone else (other than your husband) in the room when you were pushing?
I want pictures of the baby right after he's born and would love a picture of Matt cutting the umbilical cord, but I don't know how I feel about having anybody else in the room. If you had someone taking pictures, who was it?
How long after the baby was born did you take for just time for you, baby, and hubby?
Did you have family and friends visit you in your postpartum room?
How soon after the birth did you get to nurse?
How did you ask people to leave if you needed to rest or nurse?
If you had a boy, did your husband stay with the baby during the circumcision?
How long did you stay in the hospital?
What did you bring your baby home in?
What did you wear home?
Okay....I think that's all for now!!
Did you have family and friends visit you in your postpartum room?
How soon after the birth did you get to nurse?
How did you ask people to leave if you needed to rest or nurse?
If you had a boy, did your husband stay with the baby during the circumcision?
How long did you stay in the hospital?
What did you bring your baby home in?
What did you wear home?
Okay....I think that's all for now!!
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8 comments:
Basically if you have any advice for the hospital stay, I would love it!! My advice?? Don't stress!! Go in with a plan, but know it will change. You want things to happen a certain way now, but after he's born, you will forget most of what you thought you wanted to happen because you will be so overjoyed and tired!
Did you allow vistors during your labor? If so, before and after the epidural? I had a few visitors...parents, pastor, a few close friends. Mine were all after the epidural, you probably won't know until your contractions actually start if you want visitors before the epi. They may not be too bad, in which case you'll be up for visitors.
How did you ask people to leave if you had vistors but just needed some rest? Just be honest! You're the momma, and during labor, your health and the baby's health are the #1 concern. Just tell ppl. nicely that you are tired, overwhelmed, need some quiet, etc. Everyone will understand!!
Did you call family the moment you went into labor (if you weren't induced)? I called my mom and dad. We waited until we were actually in the room and settled before we called any other family.
When did you have family come?
Did they stick around the whole time? Just close family (like parents and siblings) came up right away. My mom and dad stayed the whole time. The in-laws are a bit older, so they came a bit later. Extended family (cousins, etc) came after the birth. It will just depend on who in your family you are closest too!
Did you have anyone else (other than your husband) in the room when you were pushing? Just my mom. I had mixed emotions about this. Kinda just wanted the husband, but it all happened so fast that I didn't have time to think.
I want pictures of the baby right after he's born and would love a picture of Matt cutting the umbilical cord, but I don't know how I feel about having anybody else in the room. If you had someone taking pictures, who was it? again, my mom took the pics. I'm sure you could get a nurse....there are usually several nurses in the room at that point.
How long after the baby was born did you take for just time for you, baby, and hubby? I wish I remembered this.....but I don't!
Did you have family and friends visit you in your postpartum room? family, yes. friends, only very close ones. most waited until we got home.
How soon after the birth did you get to nurse? very soon, i'd say within 2 hrs.
How did you ask people to leave if you needed to rest or nurse?
Just say it!! :)
If you had a boy, did your husband stay with the baby during the circumcision? YES!!!
How long did you stay in the hospital? Went into labor on Monday morning (EARLY!) and was home by Weds. early afternoon
What did you bring your baby home in? I had an early fall baby. Lightweight long-sleeved cotton onesie with little cotton pants and a cable knit beanie. You won't want anything too fancy because their little belly buttons and circumsized area will be a little sore.
What did you wear home? I wore a simple cotton black maternity dress that wasn't TOO obvious of an maternity dress with a little cotton cardi over it. It was very soft and comfy, but still cute. Something I felt totally comfortable in. Take something lightweight, cool, and comfy!
Hope this all helps!!
Did you allow vistors during your labor? If so, before and after the epidural?
We did not. I didn't have an epidural & no one needed to see what I was going through! Even if I had had one, I don't think we would've wanted anyone back there - we wanted that to be an experience for just us two.
How did you ask people to leave if you had vistors but just needed some rest?
We just told them! They will be understanding.
Did you call family the moment you went into labor (if you weren't induced)?
We told them on the way to the hospital. They could come into town but knew they couldn't come to the hospital until we asked them to (after delivery).
When did you have family come?
They drove into town & got hotel rooms, then came to the hospital around 10 am - Elliot was born after midnight so we had plenty of time before visiting hours.
Did they stick around the whole time?
They stayed for about an hour, left to have lunch, then came back for a couple more hours in the afternoon before they left town.
Did you have anyone else (other than your husband) in the room when you were pushing?
My husband, our midwife, then like 5 nurses all showed up at some point.
If you had someone taking pictures, who was it?
One of the nurses took pictures - I'm pretty sure they are used to that being part of their job!
How long after the baby was born did you take for just time for you, baby, and hubby?
We had a few hours since it was the middle of the night. We were stinking exhausted - 24 hrs from water breaking to birth.
Did you have family and friends visit you in your postpartum room?
Yep. We wanted our friends to come meet him.
How soon after the birth did you get to nurse?
He nursed a few minutes after birth but not for long. He really didn't nurse much at ALL for the first 24 hrs. Don't let that freak you out - the babies are often tired from being born, but the nurses will make it seem like a big deal if he doesn't eat much.
How did you ask people to leave if you needed to rest or nurse?
Again - we just told them.
If you had a boy, did your husband stay with the baby during the circumcision?
Yep. Josh went with Elliot every time he left the room.
How long did you stay in the hospital?
We were in the hospital four days total... ugh. Not by choice. BUT, I was glad to have the nurses' help since I had a real bad postpartum recovery. The bleeding was REAL heavy until about when we went home, so that was good timing.
What did you bring your baby home in?
A cute little outfit. :-)
What did you wear home?
A white shirt & soft bermuda shorts.
My labor went so fast, that I didn't get an Epi. Because of this, it was just me and Micah ( and about 100 nurses, cause it was all happening so fast) in the room. Which I think was best. I went back and forth on having my mom in the room, but they barely made it to the hospital in time. I was already pushing. Once Kaden was born, it was just me and Micah, so we were able to have "family time" before the rest of the family came in. My parents came in very quickly after he was born, once I was cleaned up and dressed, but it was enough time for Micah & I to bond with him, take pics, pray together, etc. Once we let my family in the room, it was open to everyone else, and we had visitors starting about an hour after he was born. But, all you have to do is say you need to rest or nurse, and our visitors were good about leaving. Most could tell when I needed a break, and we wouldn't even have to ask. Micah was good about asking people to leave if he could tell I was tired, so maybe talk to Matt about that before. Come up with a code or signal. The first night and day, you're running on pure adrenaline, so you'll be surprised how much energy you have. If it's just you and Matt in the labor room, and nurse will take pics for you. Once offered for us. I'm sure you can just ask if one doesn't offer. We didn't stay with the baby when we was circumcised, the dr just took him. I don't think I even realized it was an option, but he was only gone an hour or two, and the dr came to update us as soon as she was done. They kept him in the nursery to observe him, then brought him right back. We tried nursing right away, but he had trouble latching on (which I hear a lot of boys do), and my milk took longer than normal to come in. The nurses will act like it's a big deal if he's not eating, but our lactation specialist told me they're born with about 24 hours worth of food, so they don't eat a lot initially. Ask for help if you're having trouble, I did and it helped!! It was May in Houston when he was born, so we took him home in a little onsie, socks, and his hat. I wore shorts and a tshirt. Just wear something loose fitting. More than likely, you'll be sore.
Having a plan is good, but know that it more than likely won't work out that way. I went to the hospital clueless that I was in labor, and had a baby 45 minutes later. Our camera was left in the car, my cell phone was left at home, it was pure craziness, but you realize really quickly that none of that matters!! And, from someone who went through med-free childbirth, it's not as traumatic as they say. If, for whatever reason, you don't get an Epi, you'll survive. It's so worth it!!
I had my mom in the room, so glad I did because Ryan couldn't handle it once everything started. I was asking him how he was doing more than him making sure I was okay. I didn't want her in there in the beginning she actually wasn't allowed until last minute. She also got some good pictures of Ryan holding Carson for the first time and getting his footprints put on Ryan's shirt. As far as visiors go, your hospital is really good at regulating them and if you need them to leave just say okay I need some rest and thank them for coming. It won't be rude at all, take all the rest and help you can get while in the hospital. The baby usually gets circumsized on his own, they don't let the parents watch or hold him. It's much better that way. Don't stress over labor, it's really not that bad. My IV and not having water was the worst part of labor for me. It will all work out perfect! I can't wait to meet my nephew!
Did you allow vistors during your labor? If so, before and after the epidural? No, we told everyone to wait to come up because labor can take a while. We kept them posted of the progress (or lack there of). Everyone just came up after work and at that point, we knew it was c-section, so I was glad no one waited around all day. My plan was to call them when I was dilated significantly enough to know that the birth was imminent.
How did you ask people to leave if you had vistors but just needed some rest? Just ask nicely and hope that they'll understand and get Matt to help you. I had a rough post-delivery and some people didn't get the hint when I was passing out or puking so know that you may just have to flat out tell them.
Did you call family the moment you went into labor (if you weren't induced)? Induced and they called constantly the whole day, so be prepared for that.
When did you have family come? Once we realized that my labor wasn't progressing and I was getting a c-section.
Did they stick around the whole time? Just a few hours - again complications changed our experience.
Did you have anyone else (other than your husband) in the room when you were pushing? C-section, so no one else was allowed, but if I had been able to go vaginally, I wouldn't have had anyone but Brian.
I want pictures of the baby right after he's born and would love a picture of Matt cutting the umbilical cord, but I don't know how I feel about having anybody else in the room. If you had someone taking pictures, who was it? I think Brian took one pic with his cellphone in the delivery room but that was it. It all happens so fast!
How long after the baby was born did you take for just time for you, baby, and hubby? Complications again, but I would have loved this, so definitely carve it out for yourselves.
Did you have family and friends visit you in your postpartum room? Family, but no friends. Our complications even limited family to some extent. I will say there is so much going on and so much family, that unless you have a bestie that you can't imagine not having there, I'd ask friends to just visit you when you arrive home (with some food in tow of course!).
How soon after the birth did you get to nurse? It's a bit hazy of a memory but I think it was around 2 hours even with the c-section.
How did you ask people to leave if you needed to rest or nurse? The hospital gave me some hang signs for my room for nursing/pumping so that was handy. Otherwise just tell them it's nap time or nurse time and you're trying to work with baby's schedule, blah, blah...
How long did you stay in the hospital? C-section plus complications landed me plenty of nights. Had baby on Monday night and didn't go home until Saturday.
What did you bring your baby home in? It was the end of January. She went home in footed duck pjs with a blanket over her lap.
What did you wear home? Maternity jeans with my post-partum support belt underneath and a maternity top. I would suggest comfy stuff that fit you when you were around 5-6 months preggo because that's about what size you'll be.
General Advice?
Pack light - the hospital has a lot of stuff. For Pearson, other than an outfit, you may not need much. On the gross side, if you know any old people with Depends undergarments, see if you can borrow a few. I found them much easier to deal with than the stuff they give you. I didn't get to go vaginally, but a friend who did recommended a donut pillow to take pressure of your sore lady parts.
Relax, the nurses will totally take care of you. It all goes by in the blink of an eye no matter how hard you try to soak it all in. Enjoy!
I guess things have changed with the circumcision. We didn't have a choice about going with the boys. I don't really think we even knew when they were going to do it. You know I would have been passed out on the floor if I had seen that!!!
Basically if you have any advice for the hospital stay, I would love it!!
Don't stress is great advice. The nurses and Dr, will take care of you, it is their job afterall! Enjoy the experience, whatever it might be. Don't worry about taking a bunch of stuff for him. No need for diapers or anything. Just take the diapers they give you. You get so much other junk like a bathtub, and wipes and a diaper bag, and stuff you don't really want to worry about stuff you won't use!
~Did you allow vistors during your labor? If so, before and after the epidural?
My labor was so far, 3 hours from when I got to the hospital Dylan was here, so by the time anyone got to the hospital, I had already had my epi. So yes, after epi, your just much more comfy!
~How did you ask people to leave if you had vistors but just needed some rest? The nurses will be the bad guy for you. Just tell them in advance. But hopefully it will be a short labor so you won't really have to worry about that!
~Did you call family the moment you went into labor (if you weren't induced)? We called once we were at the hospital ( 45 min drive for us, Baylor Frisco) and checked in and told we were staying. I had a fear of them telling me I wasn't in labor, but I was already an 8.5-9 by the time I got there!;)
~When did you have family come? It was 5 AM, so as soon as everyone was dressed then came, it was slow though, it was snowing!
~Did they stick around the whole time? Yes, in the waiting room.
~Did you have anyone else (other than your husband) in the room when you were pushing? NO, I wouldn't have been comfortable. Though really you don't care, but the aftermath of it would have made me uneasy, knowing that others had seen it. If that makes sense!
~I want pictures of the baby right after he's born and would love a picture of Matt cutting the umbilical cord, but I don't know how I feel about having anybody else in the room. If you had someone taking pictures, who was it? I don't have any umbilical cord pictures, but tell the nurses, they will do it for you no problem, again, they are used to it!
~How long after the baby was born did you take for just time for you, baby, and hubby? At Baylor Frisco, it is just you and family, plus dr and nurses tending to you, for the first hour AT LEAST.
~Did you have family and friends visit you in your postpartum room? Yes, once I was there family came in, because they hadn't seen Dylan yet!
~How soon after the birth did you get to nurse? This will totally depend on your hospital. I would say, 5-10 min? They cleaned him up, and checked him out, we got a few pictures and they told me to nurse! Nurse AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
~How did you ask people to leave if you needed to rest or nurse? our post pardum room had a camera above the bed, so the nurses could see if I was asleep, nursing or whatever, then they would put something on the door so that no one would go in. Sweet setup! Funny story, I knew my sister was coming to see me, but never showed so I called her, she said she came by but there was a "baby eating" sign on the door so she left!:)
~If you had a boy, did your husband stay with the baby during the circumcision? Nope, I had had friends tell us to not go with him. My OB actually did it and he is great and I don't even think asked us if we wanted to be there. There really isn't anything that you can do. Dylan then had to stay in the nursery for a few hours, so that's when I got some rest.
How long did you stay in the hospital? 48 hours. I had him at 8:23 Am Wednesday morning, left at noon Friday.
What did you bring your baby home in? It was december, but a blue and white striped sweater romper thing!
What did you wear home? Sweats. lol, I have heard not to expect to wear jeans, as they will be very comfortable. If I were you, I would wear a dress home. A dark colored dress if you have one!
let's see...
Only michael and I and the medical staff were in the room for my labor (5 hours, pushing-8 mins)
I nursed almost immediately, but he wasn't ready. I tried again after being weighed, washed, etc and it was great.
Michael and I had code words that we chose before hand for getting people out of the room and he was was GREAT at getting people out and letting us rest or me go to the bathroom.
We planned on being induced at 8am and having the baby sometime that night, but he came SO quickly, we had to call family immediately after my water broke (at 3am) so they could actually make the bith at 8am. Thankfully, they all were there.
Only Michael was in the room when I started pushing. The nurse offered a mirror when I started pushing, and I think it was there, but I never thought to look at it once. No one else was there except the baby catcher :)
Michael was in charge of the camera and he got great shots; he was all about taking pictures, but we also had a great nurse that knew we wanted a lot of pics, so she would grab the camera and take pics of us together or pics that she knew that most girls might want to have, etc. Ask your nurse to help.
All family (and family type friends) came in after about an hour or so (maybe longer, not really sure), no friends until postpartum room, seeeeveral hours later.
Our hospital didn't even offer for us to be in with the circumcision. My OB got Bryson and brought him back within an hour and all was well. I dont think Michael would have ever in a million years wanted to watch that. Neither would I. I trust the Docs :)
We were cheesy and all wore matching-ish clothes home from the hospital. Bryson was born in late December, so we all wore Chrismas clothes home. :)
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